Blackstreet with Tony Toni Toné, SWV and Next

Brandishing an electrifying mix of soul, funk, hip-hop and gospel, BLACKstreet delivered its self-titled debut album in the summer of 1994. The disc was certified platinum, rose to #7 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and spawned three hit singles: “Before I Let You Go” (Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100), “Joy” (#8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay list) and “Booti Call” (Top 20 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay). These, combined with MTV and BET airplay and a thriving tour, established BLACKstreet as one of the most promising outfits on the R&B landscape.

Still, as history would bear out, BLACKstreet was just getting started. BLACKstreet defied the sophomore slump with an album that soared. Appropriately titled Another Level, the disc debuted at #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at #3 on the Billboard 200 (it would reside on both charts for more than 60 weeks). This spectacular premiere was due in no small part to a Riley-produced monster called “No Diggity.” Deemed one of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs by Rolling Stone and MTV, “No Diggity” broke new ground with its amalgamation of gritty hip-hop beats and smooth-as-silk harmonies. The sweltering intensity of BLACKstreet’s vocal performance, coupled with the track’s pulsating rhythms and G-funk-infused sonics (including a cameo from Dr. Dre), propelled the song to #1 (Hot 100) and platinum certification. It seemed “No Diggity” was everywhere. Among other achievements, it topped the Hot R&B Singles Airplay chart for seven straight weeks and the Hot R&B Singles Sales chart for a month. Also helping it along was a steamy video directed by a newcomer named Hype Williams.

A slew of awards and award nominations recognized these triumphs. In 1998, BLACKstreet earned the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group – a feat as yet unmatched by any other male R&B outfit – for “No Diggity.” There were also nods for MTV Awards and American Music Awards and an MTV Europe Award for Best R&B Album. Artists lined up to ask BLACKstreet to appear on their projects. In 1997 they graced Foxy Brown’s hit single “Get Me Home”; the following year, they lent vocals to Jay-Z’s “The City Is Mine.”

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In certain circles, Tony Toni Tone can do no wrong. In the ten years that have passed from recording their stunning debut Who? (1988) to their fourth disc House of Music (1997), this trio of Bay Area born-boys have built a brilliant new soundfactory that has incorporated various elements of doo-wop, funky cosmic stop, riverboat jazz, holy rolling gospel, tumbling dice hip-hop and the blare of rock show guitars, as they created their own brand of funk from this strange brew of sounds. “Where we grew up there was always music blasting out of people’s front doors,” says Raphael Saadiq. “There were just all of these influences literally flying through the air.” With the release of their much-anticipated Greatest Hits collection, these sons of soul get a chance to be musically flashy while stacking there collected works for the world to hear. The Greatest Hits collection should be viewed like an art-show at a museum. These are the best pieces from the band’s first ten years, but the next ten years will be even better.

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With their 1992 RCA debut, It’s About Time, the all-female trio SWV scored a string of top ten R&B hits such as “I’m so into You”, “Right Here”, “Downtown”, “Weak”, and “You’re Always on my Mind”. This established the trio as a commercial force early in 1993. Teddy Riley helped the group craft their sound further with the remix to the hit “Right Here” that featured samples of Michael Jackson’s hit, “Human Nature”, which also went #1 on the R&B charts and #2 on the POP charts. SWV gained enormous attention with their auspicious debut. Among their list of honors were 11 Billboard Music Award nominations, and nominations for a Grammy, American Music Awards and The Source Award in 1993. Additionally, they won a Children’s Choice Award and a BET “Best of Video Soul” Award.

SWV’s “Anything” contribution to the sound track for the movie Above the Rim became a top R&B hit in the spring of 1994. The entire soundtrack released a number of top 10 smash hits, resulting in the multi-platinum status of the soundtrack’s debut. In the spring of 1994, SWV released the remix version of “Anything”, which went gold.
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NEXT is a three-member group from Minnesota consisting of founding members Robert “R.L.” Huggar, Terrence “T-Low” Brown, and his brother Raphael “Tweet” Brown. The multi-platinum trio got their big break in the music industry in 1997 when Naughty By Nature’s producer and DJ KayGee got them signed to Arista Records by the legendary Clive Davis.

NEXT first entertained fans with their successful debut album “Rated Next” which included three of their biggest hit records. “Butta Love” and “I Still Love You” were both top 5 singles on the Billboard charts, and “Too Close” spent 48 weeks at number one on both Billboard’s Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts. Subsequently, Billboard Magazine named “Too Close” the number one song of 1998.

The group’s sophomore album “Welcome II Nextasy” was equally successful with its first single “Wifey” topping the R&B singles chart. NEXT also collaborated with label-mate Jaheim on his chart-topping hits “Just In Case” and “Anything” and also provided several background tracks on his album “Ghetto Love”. After the run of their second album, NEXT transferred from Arista to J Records to continue to work under the guidance of Clive Davis at his newly launched label where they released their third album “The Next Episode” and appeared on multiple movie soundtracks.

To date, NEXT has sold over 18 million albums worldwide winning eight coveted Billboard Music Awards, multiple ASCAP honors, one Soul Train Award, and has received two American Music Award nominations. The group continues to tour and entertain fans while the music industry eagerly awaits their new album “Music 101″ which showcases their growth as artists while promising to stay true to their original formula for success.

Website: http://www.tonytonitonemusic.com/